Other News

The partnership between BP and DuPont to accelerate its next generation clean renewable fuels has successfully tested biobutanol over 1.3 million miles in an ordinary car. In an exclusive interview for the June issue of Biofuels International magazine BP's Philip New says typical blends of around 16% were used without the need for modifications. Like ethanol, biobutanol can be produced…
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The northern region of Vietnam has begun construction on the region’s first bioethanol plant in the province of Phu Tho. The US$80 million project producing 100,000 m3 of ethanol per year is scheduled to come online in December 2010, converting locally available cassava and sugarcane to fuel. The project investor, Bio-Petroleum and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company (PVB), will sign direct…
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to extend the comment period on a draft rule that aims to cut greenhouse gases emitted by biofuels. The proposed changes to the 2007 US Renewable Fuel Standard attempt to make production of corn-based ethanol more efficient and increase output of advanced biofuels. The comment period on the rule (RFS2) has been extended by 60 days, from…
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In the US, the Department of Energy (DoE) has seen sense in scouring the ponds for renewable fuel potential. The Department has announced $85 million (€60 million) in funding for the development of algae-based biofuels and advanced, infrastructure-compatible biofuels. The funding comes as part of the funds released from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The goal of the monies…
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US-based second-generation biofuel company PetroAlgae is investigating the use of microcrops other than algae as feedstocks. PetroAlgae claims its technology, which uses the miniature flowering plant lemna, is ready for commercialisation. PetroAlgae currently operates two labs and one customer demonstration facility, all in the US state of Florida. The customer demonstration facility includes…
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California just got greener. Ethanol handling and distribution terminals company U.S. Development Group (USDG) will begin construction on a new terminal in the state. The West Colton Rail Terminal will be located in the Inland Empire area of southern California. Construction on the first phase, located in Rialto, California, will consist of a manifold transfer system that will begin receiving…
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In the US ethanol fuel tanks will be installed at three South Dakota state Department of Transportation regional yards in an effort to increase the use of renewable fuel by the state fleet. Although nearly 40 % of South Dakota’s 3,395 government vehicles are flexible fuel vehicles, state employees have not had access to high ethanol blends, such as E85, at state fuelling facilities. Instead,…
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Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, is gearing up to build one of the US’s largest biomass power plants. The cost of the project, including the acquisition, totals around $500 million (€338.6 million). As part of the project, Southern Power acquired Nacogdoches Power, from American Renewables. The company will have a 20-year purchase-power agreement with Austin Energy, the…
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Construction on one of the UK’s largest biomass to power generation projects is getting closer following environmental approval. UK-based MGT Power plans to build a 295 megawatt (MW) wood-fuelled power station at Teesport, which received Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consent from the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA). This formal consent together with its associated licences enables…
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In Florida, US, Port Everglades wants to upgrade idled tanks to develop as an ethanol hub but finding a company to do the job has caused set-backs. A Broward County selection committee in April had picked one contender, an affiliate of a Brazilian company. But after repeated objections, it switched in October to the protesting runner-up, an Oklahoma firm. In early November the committee decided…
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In an attempt to kick start its commercial biofuel production project, Viridas has announced a €940,000 share placing to fund a plantation in Brazil. The share placing is just one of the ways the Leeds, UK-based company is raising money to establish a new administrative organisation in Brazil and to buy a 250 hectare farm in Bahia. Stanley Wootliff, chairman of Viridas, said: ‘The placing…
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Valero Energy and Mission NewEnergy have signed a five-year deal to supply 200,000 tonnes of biodiesel a year, which is potentially worth around $3.5 billion (€2.4 billion). Mission has confirmed that it will supply Valero with jatropha-based biodiesel and palm oil based biodiesel. Mission NewEnergy said: ‘The increasing demand for biodiesel driven by the Renewable Fuels Standard and…
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Indian state Gujarat’s Energy Development Agency (GEDA) has given approval to private groups for setting up biomass power plants in 25 districts of the state. The approvals amount to a combined generation of 317MW of energy. ‘The first of its kind power plant in the state that uses 300 tonnes of biomass a day such as fuel cotton stalks, sesame stalks and groundnut shells is proposed to come…
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Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMEP) expects to move fuels blended with 5% biodiesel across southern regions in the US via the Plantation Pipe Line this year. KMEP recently conducted a test in which it moved 20,000 barrels of the blended fuel via a Mississippi-to-South Carolina segment of the line. KMEP will ship the fuel blends along portions of the line that carry petrol and diesel fuel,…
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